Bounty Hunter Blues
by rowantree13
Summary: Inspired by two Deviantart artists who show the space side of an unforgettable man. Captain EO and his crew are still protecting the galaxies for the Intergalactic Corps, but the past comes to visit EO in the form of an old friend... and a wicked enemy.
1. Chapters 1 and 2

The building itself was a run-down former gas station, debris from a large asteroid destroyed several years earlier providing a misshapen parking space for different sized ships from all over the universe. A large neon sign, flashing on and off every four seconds, emblazoned the words 'Rick's Bar and Grill' into any approaching patron's eyes in bright yellow light. The sign in the greasy looking window read 'No Loitering'.

A figure stepped onto the rusty creaking porch, timbers crunching and squeaking beneath expensive looking space boots, each boot bearing an odd looking dial on its side closest to the wearer's hands. The only things visible, other than the boots, were twin violet eyes that peered from the shadow of a hooded cloak. The amethyst eyes blazed brighter than the annoying neon sign, filled with determination and intent. The figure stepped through the entrance, and walked into the bar.

Smoke wafted up to the rafters, boisterous calls and chiming bells ringing loud enough to be heard ten feet from the building. Several citizens, some human, others alien, were drinking, gambling, carousing and carrying on, as the bartender endlessly mixed and (in some cases) remixed drinks for his patrons. Having about nine arms and hands helped the bartender out, as he could take one order while mixing drinks for seven others. He raised his four eyes (six if you counted the glasses over two of them) and grinned, nodding politely at the newcomer.

"Welcome to Rick's, you just made it for the Five o'clock Special, all drinks half price! What can I get you?"

The figure reached into their cloak, pulling out a poster and holding it up to the bartender's eyes.

"I'd like a Pulsar Passion-fruit punch, and any information about where this man is."

The hustle and noise in the bar stopped dead. People sitting at the bar next to the figure took one look and turned away, some staring impassively, others with worried expressions, all of them edgy and ready for a fight if it came to it. The bartender was sweating profusely, beads falling down his head and face as he stared at the picture, all of his eyes wide in surprise and shock. The silence was broken as a chair pushed back, one of the legs catching on the floor with a loud screech.

Harsh laughter rang out as the chair's occupant, an alien named Ket, stood up and stomped over to stand beside the figure. "Heh, look at the bold human! You looking for some kind of trouble, little human?! That's what happens when you ask questions around this place!"

Ket was a Tordanian, and like all members of his species, he was extremely strong and powerful. Last week he had won the 'Lift a Meteor, Drink a Meteor' contest at Rick's, where he had lifted an actual chunk of meteorite, as well as drank the strongest drink in the bar- he had won because he did both at the same time. Ket's heavily muscled arms bunched, green saliva coating his teeth as he grinned at the cloaked figure.

The only sound heard in the bar was Ket's heavy breathing and the soft clink of glass against wood, as the bartender set down the requested drink, a purple bubbling concoction. The Tordanian spoke up again, leaning over the figure. "Well? Why don't you show that picture to me, little human? Otherwise I'll have to take it from you- Huuuuaaahhhhh!"

As the Tordanian reached his arm out, intending to rip the paper from the figure's hand, the cloak swirled with movement, and a slender fist nailed right into the Tordanian's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The cloak billowed as another fist swung, hitting the alien in the jaw and knocking him back across the floor, right into a table, breaking it in half and smashing every drink on the table. Gasps were heard at the sight of Ket, eyes spinning and visibly knocked out. Further gasps were silenced at the sight of the figure, the hood of her cloak falling to reveal beautiful, shining, raven-black hair, complimenting the gleaming amethyst eyes and dark coffee colored skin. A perfectly shaped mouth quirked in a smile as she reached back, taking the drink on the bar and sipped delicately at the beverage. The woman nodded at the stunned bartender.

"You make a good drink, mister. That's the first reason why I don't tear down this place and why I didn't demolish your buddy there. So, I'll ask again..." She tapped the leaflet lying on the bar where it had fallen. "Do you have any information about where this gentleman is?"

The bartender helplessly stared down at the flier, which was a wanted poster, showing a rather substantial sum for the bounty and the face of a familiar Intergalactic Corps captain…

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 1

At the moment that Rick the bartender was being questioned by the mysterious figure, a battle of epic proportions was taking place in the Corps' gym arena…

"Go for the three point shot, EO!"

Captain EO was standing on a hover-board in the arena, glancing from left to right as he hovered in mid-air with the innocent-looking basketball in his hands. Two members of the opposing team were closing in on either side of him, it looked like they would steal and tackle him at the same time…

SWOOP! CRASH!

Like a shot, EO zipped forward at the last second, the two defensemen colliding in mid-air and falling to the floor, cushioned by their armor and stone bodies from any severe injury. EO rocketed upward toward the ceiling, glancing around to see if he was at the right spot- he was. He quickly threw the ball as hard as he could toward the goal, putting a spin on it.

The ball that at first glance looked like a basketball spun through the air, falling past the goalie's grasp and into the woven hoop net, an electronic voice yelling out the scored point.

"THREE BLAMMERBALL POINTS SCORED!"

Blammerball was the most popular game played in the galaxy, and a favorite of the Intergalactic Corps. Who would've guessed that the captain with the worst track record would have the best Blammerball score in the universe? No one at all would've guessed it, and that fact alone got Captain EO many challenges from other Captains eager to take his place as the top Blammerball player in the Corps. But he wouldn't give it up without a fight.

EO spun in circles as he hovered back to the arena floor. His teammates, made up of his crew, congratulated him with high fives and cheers. It was regulation rules for each team to have seven members, and since his crew was seven men total, it made sense. However, EO's team used less hover boards than the other teams, since Fuzzball and Minordomo could fly, Idy and Ody only needed one hover board for both of them-

"Man, this game drives me crazy!" Hooter grumbled from the goalie's square.

Oh yeah, and it was a rule that the goalies didn't need hover boards to guard the Blammerball goals, so Hooter was made goalie. Not because he could block the Blammerball well (though he did a decent job) but because the idea of Hooter plus a hover board equaled trouble with a capital T. So far, Captain EO's team was doing well against the opposing team, but it was a rough battle.

Captain Phillip Nancy was one of the most ruthless Captains of the Corps, in fights and sports, so it was good to have him on your side. But he was an angry guy, and tried to put down everyone who he thought was a threat. The other Captains and crews had nicknamed him 'Fancy Pants' one day, after an incident involving his uniform and three busted cans of Silly String in his locker. When he heard EO laughing at the story, he had fixed his hatred and frustration on the nearest available target; EO.

Captain Nancy's team was comprised of his own crew as well; His security officer robots, twin Golgolem brothers (a rocklike species of alien) who were his pilot and navigator, his own sidekick Dustbunny (a member of Fuzzball's species, only gray and white colored) and the midshipman who, like Hooter, was on the short side. But he was an orangutan-like creature named Swift, and served as the goalie for Nancy's team.

The score, thanks to EO's previous goal, was now tied. EO's team hadn't lost a match yet, but neither had Nancy's. The winners of this game would go on to play Captain Dirk's team in the informal finals.

Nancy whispered something to Dustbunny, the two of them sharing a devious chuckle. EO watched from across the field, narrowing his eyebrows in speculation. It looked like Nancy was up to something, and this close to the end of the match… Fuzzball landed on his shoulder, patting the Captain's arm. EO turned, smiling at his friend.

"Just one more goal and we win the game. Whatever happens, we can handle it, right Fuzzball?"

Fuzzball nodded, his little voice piping up. "No worries, EO!"

EO's smile became a grin as he looked back at the rival Captain, speaking loudly enough for his crew to hear. "Watch out for Fancy Pants, guys… he's plotting something, and I don't think it'll be sportsmanlike conduct…"

Idy and Ody nodded as they sped to the midfield line, glancing from their board down at Hooter. "Be on the lookout, goalie!" Idy called out. "Yeah, Hooter, don't mess it up again!" Ody nodded in agreement with his sibling. The elephant-like alien glared up at the pilot and navigator.

"Hey, I'm a different man when I'm on the court, guys!"

Majordomo raised a metal eyebrow as he zoomed to the right guard. "You mean as opposed to the lazy layabout that works in our Captain's crew?"

Hooter trumpeted an insult in his language at the hovering security officer. "Don't make me come up there, rust-bucket!"

"Heads up, guys, we got company!" Idy's warning was punctuated by Ody's shout as the two sped up, blocking one of the Golgolem brothers, confusing him before dealing with the other. The ball rocketed toward EO's head and he ducked, Fuzzball whistling in surprise as he zoomed away from EO's shoulder. Majordomo grabbed the Blammerball, spinning two times at the force of the toss, before lobbing it to Minordomo.

Captain Nancy sped forward, heading right toward Minordomo. 'That little robot is just as big as the ball!' Nancy thought, smirking as he hovered past EO, knowing he could grab the ball easily-

SWOOSH!

What Nancy hadn't counted on was the Minordomo's speed, and in the blink of an eye, the little robot had zoomed under Nancy and up to the midfield line, pushing the ball in an easy toss to EO, who had one Golgolem to deal with, Idy and Ody were still blocking the other. The Golgolem swung his large stone arms out, only to stare in disbelief as EO executed a front flip over his head, flying over the forward guard and landing on his hover board, zooming past Nancy's security robots and heading toward the goal!

Fuzzball zipped across the field, flying near EO to keep an eye out for danger. That danger was approaching in the form of Nancy, who was speeding across with a dangerous look in his eye- heading right toward EO without even slowing down!

"EO, look out!"

The young man glanced up at the shouted warning, seeing Nancy flying like a bullet toward him. Forgoing the winning shot, EO kept still until the last moment… then twisting his hover board beneath his feet, zooming back toward the ceiling!

Nancy followed him, the two Captains in a breakneck chase that twisted and turned all over the court! Hooter trumpeted in alarm, almost sitting in the Blammerball goal out of sheer panic. Both teams watched helplessly as their Captains flew across the field, blurred from their speed. They ended up on Nancy's side again, with EO flying toward the ceiling, then suddenly taking a dive towards the gym floor. 'C'mon, Nancy, take the bait already…' EO thought to himself.

If Captain Nancy had been thinking straight, he would've recognized the move EO was planning to pull, but right now he was so concerned with showing up EO he didn't notice. The two Captains sped toward the floor, neck and neck, right beside the other… Nancy reached out with his hand, something was in his palm as he tried to grab EO's arm… TZING! SMASH!

EO had executed a textbook kamikaze dive, feinting at the last minute and zooming toward the goal, leaving Nancy to slam right into the floor boards! His teammates were cheering as the opposing forwards ignored EO to check on their Captain.

A robot referee came forward from the sidelines, approaching Nancy. "Are you alright, Captain?" Ignoring the robot, Nancy's eyes were on EO as he scored the winning goal, the scoreboard ringing out. He stood to his feet, the object in his hand falling to the arena floor. Dustbunny zipped over and tried to grab it, but the referee robot got the object first. The passive red glow of the robot's eyes became a shocking yellow as they widened.

"What in the world… what is a zapper doing here in the arena! Captain Nancy, were you planning on attacking Captain EO with this zapper?" The robot held up the miniature zapper, which appeared to be a small ring buzzer, yet it was able to sting a person with the electrical output of a tazer. EO's crew, who had been celebrating their victory, stared at the robot's object in disbelief. EO was shocked, not only at the concealed weapon, but at Nancy's concealed wrath. He was angry enough to use an illegal weapon in the gym over a friendly game of Blammerball?

Nancy stared in disbelief, and then glared at Dustbunny, raising a fist at the small creature. Dustbunny squeaked, hiding behind Majordomo's metal boot and shaking in fear. The robot referee pointed at Captain Nancy. "You're banned from playing Blammerball for three months, Captain Nancy! That includes practices and using the recreation rooms here in the gym! This infraction will also be reported to your superiors!"

Nancy's scowl deepened, as the referee spun away. The anti-gravity cushions had slowly turned off, the hover boards and ball deactivated. EO and his crew turned to leave, until Nancy shouted at EO's back.

"You may be the best at Blammerball, EO, but you're the worst Captain ever to rank here in the Corps! Who cares if you win every Blammerball game, you're still nothing but space debris around here!"

EO stopped in his tracks, hearing the frantic whispers of his crew to ignore Nancy, to just walk away, but Nancy kept talking, a smirk on his face. He knew he was getting to EO, and kept taunting him, his voice taking on a scornful tone.

"You should've been demoted after that one mission, but Commander Bog gave you a second chance! Now everyone thinks you're some kind of hero after taking care of that so-called 'Supreme Leader', but we all know the truth! Thanks to your screw-ups, how many kids are now addicted to that candy dust Bash stole from Earth? You're just a second-rate spaceman who doesn't know the difference between an asteroid and your-"

THWACK!

One moment Nancy was taunting EO, and a few seconds later he was flying through the air, blood spilling down from his nose onto his uniform. EO's shocked crew stared, before Majordomo and Idy and Ody grabbed their Captain's arms, keeping him from attacking Nancy again. Nancy's crew both helped their Captain and restrained him, though there was no need to- he wouldn't be conscious for a while.

Unfortunately, the video camera in the gym saw everything.

Three hours later, in Commander Bog's office…

Commander Bog sighed wearily, leaning back in his seat, staring at the miscreant in front of him. EO again… it would be laughable if it wasn't such a common occurrence. Bog shook his head, looking at the Captain in front of him. As horrible as he was at being a Captain, there was no question that EO was committed to his job, even if he was one of the underdogs of the Corps. But then again, rules were rules.

"Suspended to the base until further notice, no going on visitations to Earth or the sanctioned areas, and no Blammerball, practices or matches, until a month has passed, is that clear, Captain?"

EO nodded, appearing solemn and masking his dismay. "It is absolutely clear, sir."

Bog glanced down at the monitor, watching the replay of the fight in the gym. "You do realize I'm being lenient with you, Captain EO?"

EO blinked in surprise. Commander Bog was being lenient? "I… didn't realize it, sir."

The Commander smirked as he watched the EO on the screen hit Nancy again- in truth, it was his favorite part. "Normally fighting in the gym and with a fellow officer, that means a much more severe punishment. But in this case, Captain Nancy was 'discussing' delicate details of a previous mission, so I can understand why you would want to silence him."

Captain EO stared down at the floor, unable to meet Bog's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir, but he was… talking about the Bash case, and… it's the biggest mistake of my life, sir."

Bog's smirk faded as he looked up at EO. "Mistakes are a part of life, Captain. And when you make them, you learn from them. I thought you had corrected a part of it after restoring the Wicked Queen to her rightful state, but you still feel guilt over that… Use that guilt as momentum to make sure it doesn't happen again, Captain EO."

Captain EO saluted forcefully. "Yes, sir, I'll do my best!"

At Commander Bog's nod, EO excused himself from the office. As the sliding door closed, Bog looked up at the ceiling, sighing again.

"That boy has a long way to go… but he's strong. If anyone can make the system work, he can."

Walking down the long hallways of the Intergalactic Corps headquarters, Captain EO was unaware of Bog's approval, focused as he was on the misfortune at hand. He knew he shouldn't have punched Nancy, but the way he was speaking… and so scathingly about that last mission… He shook his head, clearing away the bad memories from his mind. Commander Bog was right; he still felt guilt over that mission…

"Yo, hey, Captain EO! I've got a new 'delivery' for you!" EO blinked, and then smiled slightly as a friend of his, the librarian assistant, waved over from the Corps library. The Captain walked over to the library administration desk, resting an elbow casually on the polished oak surface of the desk.

"Yo yourself, man. So another delivery came in, Corporal?"

The librarian assistant, Corporal Orion, grinned as he handed an electronic book to the Captain. "Yes, sir, Captain! Got a few interesting titles and essays, and I took the liberty of making a few selections myself. I dare say I know what to look for, since I've been finding you books when you arrived here as a cadet…"

EO looked up from the clipboard, meeting Orion's solemn face, which was contradicted by the laughter in the corporal's eyes. The Captain smirked, flipping through the title list. "Well, I've always counted on you for that, and what with the latest infraction against my record, I'm going to have some free time…"

Orion smirked back, crossing his arms. "You mean the knockout punch against Nancy?"

EO blinked, looking up at the Corporal. "You know about that? News travels faster than I thought."

Orion waved it off. "Nah, I've got friends in the security department. They were watching the cameras, so they told me about it… and then Captain Violet came to pick up a book, so I kind of told her…"

EO's puzzled expression turned to one of shock and embarrassment, blushing as he stared in disbelief at Orion. "You… told Captain Violet? The gossip queen of the women's barracks, you told that Captain Violet? What were you thinking?! Now the whole Corps is going to know about this!"

Orion grinned helplessly, holding his arms in front of himself in defense, as if EO would throw a punch at him. "Hey, better sooner than later. Besides, you've got more support than you know! No one likes Nancy now, especially after what he did to that rookie."

EO sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, you mean the 'airlock incident' where Nancy trapped cadet Ares into the airlock and threatened to open the space-side doors if he didn't listen. Good thing the security crew caught him, but still, it's dangerous to make an enemy of Nancy, he's… insane."

Orion shrugged. "We all are in some way. Good thing he's on our side, eh?" The librarian assistant saw EO reaching for his wallet. "Not this time, it's on the house, Captain. Call it a Knockout Special, eh?"

EO couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks for the books, Orion. See you later."

Orion grinned as EO left, chucking to himself as he pictured EO's reaction to the centerfolds he had snuck into the digital book under the name 'Knockout Special'.

A few hours later…

EO was relaxing in his room, having removed his uniform jacket but still wearing his rainbow t-shirt and uniform pants, glaring at the clipboard in his hands. Paperwork… there was always endless paperwork in this job, they should've said 'To protect the galaxies, bring law to lawless stations, and fill out constant paperwork about every possible infraction in your record…'

He sighed, falling back onto his bed, one arm flung over his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling in his room. It was one of the perks being a Captain, you had your own room in the barracks, but the furnishings were still uniformly Spartan in nature; bed, nightstand, dresser, closet, and desk with light fixture, very simple and neat.

He was allowed to add his own decorations, so his room was decorated in posters- One of Albert Einstein with his tongue sticking out, another of the Berlin Wall being torn down, landscapes both of Earth and space, and African animals from old National Geographic books… it was an odd mixture, but anyone who knew EO knew he had a lot of interests. A dusty old-fashioned boombox stood in one corner, surrounded by at least one hundred mini-discs of music, all different kinds and genres.

One thing that was visibly missing from the room was any trophies or accolades; the only one visible was a piece of paper declaring that he had ranked so high on the test and combat scores that he was ranked as Captain immediately. It certainly didn't hurt having his musical beam talent, either…

He growled and sat up at he glared at the clipboard again. He used the stylus almost like a sword, jabbing resentfully at the questions it asked. A knock at the door made him look up. "Come in," he said.

The door slid open, showing a flying Fuzzball carrying a hot mug of coffee with his little paws and tail. EO smiled as his friend flew into the room, hovering overhead. "Hey, Fuzzball… You got coffee for me? Thanks a lot, buddy."

Fuzzball let go of the mug as soon as EO had gripped the handle. He blew on his hands, rubbing them as he squeaked a warning. "Careful, it's hot!"

EO cautiously took a sip, nearly scalding his mouth, but swallowing the hot brew quickly. A warm feeling trickled down his throat and into his chest, helping him to feel better about the paperwork ahead. "Coffee and paperwork… what a combination," the Captain sighed as he stared at the clipboard.

After a few minutes of silence, a sharp buzzing was heard. The Captain turned his head, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from… it sounded like it was beneath his bed...

"What in the world…" EO held the coffee cup carefully as he slid off the bed; kneeling down on the floor and tossing the bed cover aside, glancing beneath the bunk. He grinned, reaching out and grabbing the small rectangular box.

"A-ha, that's what it was!" Triumphantly EO stood back up, holding his intergalactic communicator. "I've been looking for this all over the station, Fuzzball!"

Fuzzball, who had grabbed the coffee cup back from EO's hand, chittered as he flew around the room, placing the mug onto the padded area on the desk and glad to finally put the scalding cup down.

EO glanced at the communicator, flipping it on.

"Better see who it is… hello?"

"Hello there, big brother."

EO grinned happily as he recognized the voice and video image of his younger sister. "Janet! How are you?"

"Staying busy, just getting my stuff packed for my trip!"

"A trip, huh? Where are you going?"

"I'm going on my trip to visit you, silly! Remember, we talked about it during your last shore leave? We were going to meet at your base, then go to H5 and that carnival. We said we would ride that anti-gravity coaster when they finished building it-"

EO's grin faded as he sighed. "I'm sorry, Sis, but I'm afraid I can't go to E5. I've been suspended to the base."

There was a moment of silence on the phone, and then Janet's voice was heard again- not angry, but tinged with worry and more gentle than before. "I did hear a rumor about a Captain being suspended for fighting, but I was hoping it wasn't you… what happened?"

EO told his sister all about the Blammerball match, the illegal weapon, the insults, the punch and the subsequent punishment from Commander Bog. Janet sighed. "He was being lenient on you, but I wish the Commander didn't get on your case so much… that Nancy deserved what was coming to him for talking about that mission, it wasn't fair at all!"

EO sat back on his bed, shaking his head. "I could've been demoted for something like this, Janet. Besides, Nancy was given a worse punishment than me for instigating a fight, not to mention carrying a weapon in the match. But maybe we could do something later-"

Janet smiled up at her brother from the communicator. "Later it is then, big brother." She smirked impishly, giggling. "I can always save that bikini I bought from Paris later for when we go to the beach, and then I'll get more Earth boys falling over themselves when they see me! I've still got my record to break, at least nine boys tripping…"

EO's eyes widened in disbelief, and then he giggled as well, shaking his head in disbelief. "Girl, what are you doing wearing bikinis in January, anyway? If you show up to the beach like that I'll bring a bathrobe and make you wear it all day! And it'll be one of those big flannel ones with yellow and red stripes on it!"

Janet gaped at her older brother. "You wouldn't! Ooh, if you do that, I'll-"

"Tell Mother you were 'dressing down' so the boys could look at you?" EO grinned, still giggling.

The two siblings laughed, joking and carrying on for hours, as talk turned to their family, friends, and work. Sometime later, EO yawned, waving good-bye to his sister.

"I've got to finish this paperwork, Sis. But I'll talk to you later. You take care, okay?"

Janet grinned, waving back. "You take care of yourself, and stay out of trouble. I love you."

EO smiled. "Love you too, Sis. Good night."

With a final wave, the communicator shut off. EO placed the communicator on his nightstand, turning back to the dreaded paperwork. Fuzzball flew up, perching on EO's shoulder as his Captain worked throughout the night.

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 2

Rick's Bar and Grill was still standing as the mysterious woman left, leaving behind a concussed Tordanian, a terrified bartender and a confused and worried crowd. The door clanged shut behind her, and the woman could almost hear the sigh of relief as she walked away and into the parking lot.

The young woman stopped when she reached her ship, a streamlined X-57 Zoomer model- one of the fastest single pilots built, and expensive. A bright purple and blue colored ship, it bore more resemblance to an expensive sports car than a spaceship. The young woman climbed the ladder and opened the hatch door, swinging herself through the entrance door and into the pilot's seat, strapping herself in and speaking aloud to the artificial intelligence programmed into the spaceship's computer.

"Talk to me, Karen. Do you have a course charted that'll get us into the Intergalactic Corps without detection?"

A feminine computerized voice spoke up. "Several courses have been charted, only one would be possible to avoid detection. This course follows the supply cruisers' line and must be followed accordingly."

A moment of silence, then the voice was heard again, this time with a wry tone. "I can tell you've been working on your piloting skills, Bee. The logs indicate at least 72 hours of practice in aerial maneuvers and simulated battles this week alone. You're not overworked, are you?"

The young woman, Bee, looked up at the monitor, where a digitalized face appeared, bearing a concerned frown and worried eyes. She smiled up at the monitor. "You're such a worrier, Karen. I can handle this."

The monitor's digitalized face eased into a smile. "Alright, Bee, let's get this show started. Engines powered on, fuel tanks running, hyper-drive running hot and system calibrations set, all systems online and revving."

The eager pilot grinned, her eyes lit at the prospect of going on another mission. "Roger that. Engage thrusters, set course on the navigation map, and pipe in some music please."

A jaunty retro song blared on the radio as the engines revved, four flames blooming from the back of the spaceship. With a rumble and a sudden lurch, the ship jolted from the ground, rising up and hovering for a few seconds before speeding into the sparkling vastness of space.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Bee cheered as she felt the exhilaration of another take off, sending the ship into a victory roll. The young woman laughed as the control panel starting blinking rapidly, warning of projectiles heading their way. Bee steered the ship, thumbs on the buttons above her controls as the projectiles rocketed toward her. Last time she had been out here, there was a large asteroid. Apparently, someone had taken offense to it and blasted it to pieces.

She dodged past the larger rocks and fired on the smaller ones, debris pelting the armored sides and solar reinforced glass windows as she zoomed past. Finally, the rocks dispersed and it was clear once more. Setting the mode to 'auto pilot', Bee leaned back in her chair. "I'm going to take a nap, Karen. Warn me if something or someone approaches, please?"

The computerized face smiled. "Absolutely, boss."

Bee leaned back, glancing over at the flier. The bartender's information had been good, saying that the good Captain was more than likely at his headquarters. That would be the best place to find him, away from prying eyes and ears… "Soon, I'll see you again, Captain EO…" Bee said, before closing her eyes.

At the Intergalactic Corps headquarters…

EO yawned as he walked out of his room, zipping up his uniform jacket. It had been nighttime when EO had finally finished the required paperwork and he had promptly fallen asleep, the clipboard dangling out of his hand and still wearing his uniform. After a quick shower, he had changed into fresh clothes and felt a lot better. So he was confined to the base, big deal… while it was a shame he and his sister couldn't go to H5, the local space carnival, but at least he wouldn't be bored. Speaking of bored…

He flipped through the digital book that Orion had given him… 'Heh, that guy's nuts, but he always comes through finding books that aren't technical manuals… hmm, a new Sherlock Holmes mystery, Rip Van Winkle, Hemingway, some poetry by Dickinson and- what in space…"

EO trailed off as he stared, looking at the opened document 'Knockout Special'. Instead of words on the pages, digital pictures appeared that showed scantily clad women that were involved in beach activities; surfing, sunbathing, playing volleyball… The women in the pictures were moving, smiling and winking up at him. One of the girls playing volleyball actually waved and laughed, a dusky-skinned woman with bright purple eyes. Thankfully she was wearing a bikini, but still… His eyes widened, both scandalized at what Orion gave him, but also glad to see all these really beautiful women, and on a beach no less…

"Whoa!" EO blinked as he looked at his right shoulder, where Fuzzball was perched and had made the sudden exclamation. The little guy had covered his eyes, knowing he was too young to look at stuff like that… EO closed the electronic book, reaching up with his left hand and patting Fuzzball on the head.

"It's okay now, Fuzz, you can open your eyes. I put the pictures away."

At EO's reassurance that the book was no longer in sight, Fuzzball removed his hands from his eyes, wiping sweat from his brow as he sighed. "Phew!"

EO chuckled, walking to the end of the hallway. A pair of stairs and escalators showed the way down to the hangar where their ship was kept. He'd asked the crew to gather there, so they could run maintenance over the ship, but EO had another objective- he did need to apologize to his crew for grounding them as well.

It was unofficially sanctioned, but if a Captain was grounded, so was his crew, simple as that. It was practiced to encourage loyalty between the crews and their leaders, but it worked both ways; the crew needed the Captain to guide them, but the Captain was nothing without the crew.

'I guess Nancy forgot about that part,' EO thought as he made his way to the ship. Already he could see them, Majordomo and Minordomo welding a replacement piece of armor to one of the scrapes they'd suffered from landing on the Metal Planet, Idy and Ody were working with technical glasses and calibrating instruments for the scanners, and Hooter… just as expected, he was lying on a makeshift pool chair with a piece of metal in his lap, reflecting the lights of the hangar to sun himself. He was even wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"You know, Hooter, if you really want a tan that badly, I could just toss you out into the airlock when we pass by the sun… I hear it makes you turn browner than a potato," EO quipped, resting his arm against the wing of the ship. The surprised crew immediately saluted, except for Hooter, who ended up tripping over the scrap chair and fell to the floor.

"Sir, we weren't expecting you until an hour later!" Majordomo said, glancing around uncertainly.

Idy and Ody lifted their glasses, both with sheepish expressions. "We just wanted to make sure things were running smoothly, sir!" "Yeah, just making sure everything was aligned properly…"

Hooter looked around, and then shook his head, trumpeting a defeated call. "Looks like I was… well, I got no excuse, sir…"

EO shook his head, but he was smiling at his crew. "I appreciate it, crew. In fact, I'm glad that Hooter did make it to the hangar early, that's a surprise in itself. I thought he'd still be stuck in his cabin, sleeping the day away."

Idy, Ody, and Majordomo laughed, even as Hooter managed a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. EO's smile vanished as he sighed, glancing at each crew member before he spoke.

"Guys, I'm sorry for getting you grounded," EO began to say, before he was interrupted by the others.

"Hey, no apology necessary, Captain… I mean that Nancy guy was the one who started it!"

"That's right, it's his fault Captain!"

"Besides, we're the best underdog crew of the Corps, aren't we?"

Majordomo waited until the others comments died down, and then spoke up. "We talked about this before you arrived, Captain. We would've stood by you even if we were jettisoned into space, sir!"

"We stick together, through thick and thin!" Hooter trumpeted, throwing a smart salute. EO smiled at his crew, returning his subordinate's salute.

"Thank you, crew, for your support. But we definitely have some shaping up to do if we're going to keep working for the Corps. How are repairs going?"

"We're almost done with the scanners, sir!" "We should be finished after this last calibration… there! All finished, sir!"

EO nodded. "Well, we can run a few diagnostics and maybe some drills through the system. All because we're stuck down here doesn't mean we can't improve our battle plans, right?"

The crew answered. "Affirmative, Captain!"

EO looked at the solemn, determined expressions of his crew, and then smiled. "And it might help that after a few successful drills getting some refreshments at the snack bar, right?" The crew cheered.

A split second later, an alarm blared throughout the hangar. EO and his crew looked up at the warning siren, which was spinning and glowing bright red. An announcement over the loud speaker was broadcast, too loudly as usual, causing the crew to cover their ears. Through it was muffled the warning was still very loud;

"ATTENTION PERSONNEL IN THE DOCKING HANGAR. THE AIRLOCK GATE WILL BE OPENED IN FIVE MINUTES DUE TO THE LATEST SUPPLY SHIPMENT ARRIVING SHORTLY. PLEASE ENTER THE DESIGNATED AREAS, OR SPACECRAFT, TO PREVENT BEING EXPOSED TO THE SPACE VACUUM. THAT IS ALL."

Captain EO uncovered his ears and looked at his crew. "You heard the man, let's get in our ship!"

He pulled open the hatch door, letting the others board as he shouted a question at Majordomo over the siren and whirr of machinery. "Will the repairs you and Minordomo made hold up against the vacuum?"

Majordomo nodded. "We've just finished the welding of the armor beneath the ship; we can get to the individual gouges later."

EO returned the nod. "Alright, but make sure we're locked down before you enter the ship. Otherwise Commander Bog will blow a fuse thinking we left the station on purpose instead of just being accidentally jettisoned!"

Majordomo saluted. "Yes sir!" He and Minordomo quickly checked the locks holding the sails and magnetic strips on the bottom of the ship securing it to the hangar deck, and then entered the ship, closing the hatch door. EO activated the ship's oxygen reserves, watching out of the window with the rest of his crew. As they watched, Hooter and Idy and Ody were having a spirited conversation.

"You guys think we'll get some decent food this time?"

"Hey, as long as they have popcorn and some new movies, I won't complain!"

"Yeah, you can only watch so many Disney films over and over!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Um… nothing… Hey, the airlock is opening!"

The crew stared as the vast airlock opened, and the supply ship maneuvered into the hangar, the massive supplier looming over the small patrol ships and fighters of the Corps.

Fuzzball blinked. "Whoa…" EO nodded in agreement. "You said it, Fuzzball."

Only a few lights sparkled over the gigantic ship, as it was camouflaged to move through vast space quickly. It stopped when the lights marking the shipment doors reached the docking bay, and the airlocks were attached and the outside one closed, the doors shutting with a loud thump. A long moment of tense silence lingered over the crew, stretching the seconds almost painfully.

Hooter whispered to himself. "Wait for it…"

The whole station whirred, as if a miniature tornado had been unleashed! Through the window, the crew saw as the cargo was vacuumed from the supply ship and bouncing through the transport tubes, the heavily packaged cargo able to withstand even the coldness of space.

After about ten minutes, the last package was lifted into the cargo tube and the airlocks reopened, as the behemoth ship went into reverse and backed out of the hangar. As soon as it was clear, the airlocks were closed firmly- but no one noticed the small craft that hid in the shadows of the supply ship, docking out of sight between two patrol ships.

Idy and Ody glanced around the hangar through the window. "It looks okay to go out now-"

"No, Ody, we have to wait for the all-clear!"

The alarm went off again, as the intercom was clicked on yet again. "THE HANGAR ROOM IS NOW SECURE, EVERYTHING IS ALL CLEAR."

Hooter went over to the hatch door and opened it, jumping down to the hangar deck. "Everything's okay now, guys!"

EO raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the door from the captain's station. "Hooter… you forgot to ask before opening the door again."

The midshipman looked up sheepishly. "Uh… I had a memory lapse, Captain?"

EO smirked. "Yeah, I'll bet. You can wonder about your memory lapses when you're cleaning your bunk, alright?"

"Hey, I cleaned my bunk today- Are you kidding me?!" Hooter asked in amazement. "Stuffy Captain EO is joking with me? That's no way that's possible!"

EO laughed, jumping down to the deck as well, waving for the rest of the crew. "It's safe, men, you can come out now. The repairs really held up under the vacuum, Majordomo…"

Meanwhile, in Bee's spaceship…

Bee carefully opened the hatch to her ship, thankful for the open parking space that had been available, otherwise she and Karen would've been sucked out into space. As it was, Karen had berated her for the rest of the docking time about the reckless maneuver and nearly crunching the ship between the wall and the supply vessel. Finally Bee had shut off the systems, knowing she would apologize to Karen later.

There was something that Bee had noticed that caught her eye. In one of the larger patrol ships, in the windows, there was EO watching the shipment coming in! She couldn't believe her luck! She snuck out of the ship, dropping to the deck silently. Weaving between the docked ships, she made her way toward EO's ship. If he was alone, all good, but if he wasn't… her hand went to the laser pistol on her belt. She didn't want to use it, but if it was necessary, she would…

She drew close enough to hear voices; she froze in her tracks when she heard EO's voice…

"So we used Rigel alloy instead of titanium? That explains why it did that… we might need to reinforce it with more metallic matter, just in case…"

It was now or never! Bee appeared from behind the ship, slowly walking out into sight. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized she was surrounded by EO's entire crew. She was met by a puzzled look in the Captain's eyes... those familiar dark eyes, that seemed to smile along whenever he was happy, the wind blowing idle strands of curled hair away from his face...

"Um... Miss? I'm sorry, but this is a personnel designated zone, you might want to go into the civilian stations-"

Bee ran forward, tears in her eyes as she threw herself into EO's arms, crying in a heart-felt tone.

"EO! I knew it was you! I'd heard you'd become a captain for the Corps, but I didn't think it was truly you! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Idy, Ody, Hooter, Majordomo, Minordomo, and Fuzzball stared at Captain EO in shock and puzzlement. It was clear from the surprise in EO's eyes that he hadn't been expecting this at all! He waved a free hand, his other gently rubbing the stranger's back, trying to get her to calm down. She was only hugging him, after all...

"Miss? Do I know you from somewhere?"

Bee looked up from the Captain's embrace, smiling as the tears of joy in her amethyst eyes shone with delight. "You don't remember me, EO? Remember back on Earth, when we would race the other kids on our hover boards and you always won?"

EO's eyes widened. Hover boards on Earth... laughing and sharing candy with the little girl down the street. Two young kids sitting on a jungle gym and watching the sunset, promising that they would be...

"Friends forever..." Bee said, softly.

"...and ever, and ever." EO repeated, staring at her in wonder. A smile appeared on his face, causing his eyes to shine.

"Billie Jean? Is that really you?!"

To be continued...


	2. Chapters 3 and 4

Disclaimer: These chapters are going to have a bit of violent content (some death, and anger driven violence) so just giving a heads-up.

Oh, and the two deviantART artists who have inspired this story are LauriLover86 and blackat81- They are both great artists, their drawings ROCK!

And of course, we all know which artist portrayed the infamous Captain EO. Rest in peace, Mike.

Now let's get this started:

~*~*~

At the moment EO had a reunion with his old friend…

It appeared to be a normal office, at first glance… typical pictures on the wall, desk, office chair, papers and coffee cup on the desktop, and a computer monitor shining its dim light. But as soon as one entered the room, the casual onlooker could tell there was something evil lurking in the shadows, as the shade in the room much darker than it should've been, flickering against the walls as if alive.

The underling stood nervously, three eyes blinking in fear and sweat dripping down his face as he peered at the figure sitting behind the desk.

"So then, you have news for me, Drib?" A voice, like oil poured over ice, slid into the underling's ears as he shivered in fear. Two of his claw-like hands twisted his cap as he gestured with his two other arms, his voice squeaky from nervousness.

"Boss, we sent out the bounty like you asked, and that girl, Bee, she pounced on it like a saber-tiger from Andromeda! The coordinates last received were within the boundaries of the Corps headquarters, we think she managed to get through, but we won't have confirmation until two hours-"

The shadow behind the desk interrupted him. "Drib, I asked to be informed of this situation in case any complications arose with our plan. And so far, you've given me a satisfactory update, but have not mentioned any complications. I'll ask nicely, but just this once… what else do you have to report?"

Drib's mouths dried in complete fear, and he gulped three times before he spoke. "Sir… the girl knew EO, we did a background check on her. They grew up together on Earth; she might tip him off-!"

The alien henchman winced at the sudden sound, arms raised ineffectually to block the laser beam he knew would hit him from his boss' displeasure, but Drib opened his eyes, shocked to realize the sound he heard was laughter, like a hacking cough. The boss was laughing? He was pleased at this info?

"B-boss, is everything okay?" Drib whispered, even as the harsh laughter died down. A pair of eyes glinted over the computer light, two points of light like daggers staring and piercing into the henchman, a cruel smile appearing on the superior's lips.

"Actually, Drib, this could be the best news I've heard all day," the boss explained casually. "I find it deliciously ironic that it is of the Captain's old friends who will betray him to our little organization. And that bit of information could cause absolute torment to his poor mind once he's in our custody. I can't help but laugh at the expression that'll be on his face, it will be impotent rage at its finest moment!" He laughed louder, glasses glowing unnaturally in the electronic light.

Drib grinned weakly, offering a faint chuckle. "Heh, it sounds like fun, boss. You must've got some kind of vendetta against this guy…" The henchman trailed off, wondering if he said too much.

The laughter died down, as a look appeared on the boss' face, one that Drib had never seen before. He finally recognized it as a 'thoughtful' expression. The boss shrugged. "Actually, if it wasn't for his bungling a certain mission, I wouldn't have succeeded at my first job," he concluded, turning back to the glowing monitor. "It seems like yesterday I was just a runner for Mr. Street, 'making my bones' with that first heist. Ah, memories…"

He typed for a few minutes before turning around and seeing Drib still standing at the desk. The boss stared for a few seconds, and then grinned. "My apologies, Drib, I forgot you were still there. You're excused, for now. On your way out, tell Drake he can come in, would you?"

Drib nodded, backing up to the door in haste, his hand grasping a few times blindly before tightly gripping the handle. "Yes sir, absolutely, sir, thank you so much for everything, boss!"

The door opened and Drib left, wiping sweat from his brow. He nodded at the tall, lanky alien waiting in the hall, and the creature got up from his chair and walked into the office with a confident swagger.

Drib took a few steps down the hall, coming to a halt when he realized he could hear the alien, Drake, speaking.

"Yeah, boss, I took care of the shipment, the cargo is long gone by now. The Corps wouldn't find it if they had a map and a way- huh? What do you mean…? But look, boss, it was only one kid in the air lock, she managed to sneak past the guards, how was I supposed to know- BOSS! BOSS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PLEASE, DON'T-"

Drake's voice, at first confident, became shrill with fear and took on a pleading tone, before being cut off by a buzzing sound and the illumination of the office door window, a bright yellow glow shining from the darkness. Drib's mouths opened in a silent scream as he bolted, running down the hall in panic, a faint wisp of smoke rising from the bottom of the door.

Drib's motto was "I'd rather the other guy get it than me," which in this case turned out to be true. Drake had lost a kid during his shipment, and the boss hated it whenever cargo was lost for any reason, because when you lost cargo, you were also losing money for the organization. And because of this mistake, Drake was now nothing more than space dust.

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 3

Billie Jean, or Bee as she was called, looked up at EO with a big smile on her face, still hugging him. "It's been so long, EO… I can't believe it, you're a Captain in the Corps now, just like you said you would be!"

EO was very surprised to see Bee. He had wondered what had happened to his old friends from Earth, the few that he had before being sent to the Corps cadet school. He hugged Bee tightly, returning her smile with equal enthusiasm. "It has been a very long time, Billie. I wasn't able to keep track of the old neighborhood, I haven't been there in years, but it's really great to see you again!"

EO's crew stood and watched, slightly mystified but glad to see their Captain was happy. Fuzzball chittered slightly as he watched from Majordomo's shoulder, having flown off of EO's shoulder when Bee had suddenly hugged his Captain. The robots watched, Majordomo smiling and Minordomo blinking curiously, Idy and Ody were grinning and nodding, and even Hooter was wiping 'dust' from his eye.

"It's just some dust in the hangar… 'm not gonna cry…" Hooter sniffled a little, looking away from the embracing couple as he trumpeted sadly, his voice starting to get a little choked. "I love happy reunions…" Majordomo patted Hooter's shoulder comfortingly.

Bee and EO finally parted after a few minutes, when they realized they had an audience watching them.

Both the Captain and his friend blushed, EO managing a boyish grin while Bee smiled shyly at the others.

"Well, uh, guys, I guess introductions are in order. Everyone, this is Bee, one of my old friends back on Earth… Bee, this is my crew." Greetings were exchanged between Bee and EO's crew. Fuzzball flew over and perched on Bee's shoulder, chittering a friendly 'hello' at the young woman.

Bee giggled, raising a hand to shake Fuzzball's little paw gently. "Hello there! He's so cute, EO! Is this little guy your pet?"

EO smiled, shaking his head. "Not really, Fuzzball's more of a friend and partner than a pet. He's saved my life more than once during a tough mission, let me tell you…"

Majordomo made an 'ahem' sound, politely getting EO's attention. "Uh, Captain, since we're here in the docking hangar, perhaps you'd like to demonstrate some of our ship drills to your friend…"

EO glanced at Bee, then back to Majordomo, nodding as he realized what the security robot was hinting at. "Oh yeah, I, um, kind of forgot that for a second, didn't I?" He turned to Bee. "We're just going to work on a few battle drills, but if you'd like you could watch from inside the ship..."

Bee nodded, appearing very interested. "It sounds great. Are you available for anything after that?"

EO blushed again. It was an innocently asked question, he KNEW it was, but the way she said it… 'Stop it, she's your friend!' His inner mind reprimanded severely, even as he resisted the urge to smile.

"Well, I'm, uh… I was going to take my crew to the cafeteria, but… I'm confined to the base for now, I can't go anywhere…"

Bee nodded, hiding her dismay at not being able to secure a time when they could be alone, though she took the opportunity to capitalize on EO's hesitancy with a 'slight' bit of flirting. "Perhaps we could do something later… I know, what about a hover board ride? I've never done it around a space station before!"

What Bee meant was, she had never rode a hover board in space or around a space station before, but EO took her sentence within a different context. 'I think I've been listening to Janet's music a little too much,' he thought distantly, trying to keep certain thoughts from the focus in his mind. He turned back to face Majordomo, his blush now clearly evident as he struggled to keep his composure.

"Let's get back into the ship, shall we? The sooner we finish our drills, the sooner we can go to the cafeteria…"

Majordomo sighed to himself, even as Minordomo looked up at his Captain curiously. Idy and Ody were still grinning. Fuzzball was slightly perplexed as he flew onto EO's shoulder, yet since EO seemed distracted, he didn't question his friend's reaction. But Hooter, with all the tact and professionalism of a five-year-old, chuckled to himself as he walked toward the ship.

"EO and Billie, sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S… Ouch!"

Out of reflex, and to spare EO's feelings, Majordomo had swung out a metal fist, catching Hooter on the back of his skull. The elephant-like alien glared, a hand rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. "I didn't say anything to you!"

Majordomo bent down, growling in a low tone. "Keep your mouth shut, Hooter, or we'll chuck you out of the airlock… again. And this time, you'll leave the station without a spacesuit!"

Hooter trumpeted indignantly. "I can't believe you, rust-bucket! You guys teased me mercilessly when I went out on a date-"

"This is different! I don't want you to embarrass the Captain, is that clear!" Majordomo growled. While the two argued, Bee smiled to herself, able to hear the conversation from a few feet away. A hand drifted down to the small heart-shaped compartment at her belt, tapping it thoughtfully.

Apparently her pheromone laced perfume was working, if EO's behavior was any indication. Still, it would be tricky getting him away from his crew…

She watched, leaning on the side of the ship as EO and his crew ran through the drills. EO was calm; his skills at piloting were exceptional, even if it was only a set of battle simulations. Despite being previously distracted, EO was a dedicated Captain, and very business-minded during each battle, intent on completing every mission. This bounty was going to be more difficult than she thought it would be…

About two hours later, the crew finally left the ship ( though they were held up a few minutes, Hooter making a frantic run back to make sure he locked the entry door) and headed toward the cafeteria.

"We did better that time," Majordomo nodded at Idy and Ody. "Good job with plotting those courses and battle formations, we really gave the A.I. something to think about!"

Idy nodded happily. "Twenty out of twenty-five won, that's not bad at all! We're at an eighty percent survival rate, better than last week!"

Ody snickered, glancing back at Hooter. "We only lost that last one when Hooter tripped over Minordomo and banged his trunk into the cargo bay button. And somehow the cargo managed to take out an enemy ship before we got taken out!"

Idy blinked at his sibling. "What was the cargo for our ship again?"

Ody laughed out loud. "For some reason, the system assigned different ships to hold food supplies for a journey to a new station, so we had the produce cargo! Apples, pears, oranges, and, you guessed it, bananas!"

Hooter grumbled. "Some cargo, that didn't faze me a bit; I work with crew members that act bananas on a daily basis!"

The Geex and the robots couldn't help but laugh at Hooter's comment. "We could say the same thing!" Ody, Idy, and Majordomo echoed in agreement.

The cafeteria was packed with people; ranking officers, cadets (called 'rookies' by the others enlisted in the Corps), and dozens of civilians, contractors, family members, close friends… It was one of many places on the station for guests to eat at, but the food was anything but militaristic. The bright colors of restaurant logos beamed out, inviting customers in; a snack bar was set up for all tastes, some of the food from other planets and in strange forms. A Tordanian could be having a plate of salad with a side of globs (something like grubs from Earth, but alien insects that survive in the stone trees of Radian), and be shocked at the sight of a human eating Jell-o, or vice versa.

The robots went to the refueling station where other machinery, enlisted and not, recharged and refueled their circuits and batteries. The Geex and Hooter were intent on raiding the salad and dessert bar, while Fuzzball zoomed across the room to join the others of his species at the local watering hole, which was actually a fountain rigged for the purpose of feeding Fuzzball and others like him.

EO and Bee headed toward a favorite of EO's, the local oriental restaurant. Quite a few Captains and their crews were already there, including Nancy, who now had bandages plastered in a ridiculous amount over his face. Apparently Captain EO had done more than cause a nosebleed with that punch… at another table eating a bowl of what looked liked stir-fry mixed with gummy worms, Corporal Orion waved at his friend, raising an eyebrow when he realized that EO had company… the enlisted man grinned at his superior, saluting casually.

"Hi-ya, Captain! Hey there, who's the pretty lady on your arm? Don't tell me you finally called that service I told you about…?"

EO blushed again and coughed into his fist, glaring over his knuckles at Orion, who kept his grin but mellowed out on the questions. Bee just smiled politely, extending her hand. "Hi, I'm just a friend of EO's from Earth… my name is Bee."

Orion politely shook her hand. "Ah, it's nice to meet you, Bee! EO here is one of my best customers!" At Bee's puzzled look, Orion explained. "I work at the library, so he always visits at some point to get the newest books. Like I always say, a book isn't officially checked in until EO checks it out!"

Bee laughed, even as EO rolled his eyes upward as if to beseech the ceiling to fall on his friend. Trying to salvage the remains of his confidence, EO turned to Bee with a credit in his hand. "Here, how about you go get something? I'm not really hungry right now, and I've got something to say to mister Orion here about his books."

Bee took the credit from EO, smiling at him. "See you in a bit," she said, walking toward the line. EO and Orion watched her go, the corporal giving a low whistle as he openly admired her.

"Captain, I think that you got a case of trouble," Orion said, winking at his superior. "Man, she's some kind of hotness! What's her name and does she have a sister?"

EO blushed again, resting his head in the palms of his hands. "Leave off, corporal, she's just a friend."

Orion blinked, but his smile became a little lazier. "So do you mean just a friend, or, ah, 'just a friend', Captain?"

EO glared again, scowling. "I will spell it out for you, Corporal, once and only once. Billie Jean… yes, that is her name, Billie Jean is not my lover. Get me? She's only a friend."

Orion grinned, snickering a little into his stir-fry. "I'm just kidding with you, Captain. But still, no one would blame you for hooking up with her; I mean she is pretty easy on the eyes."

The Captain looked down at the table. "Yeah, I know, but I'm looking for something more than just a one night stand. I'd like to find a real lady who's… you know, a real 'true love'? That 'once in a lifetime' kind of feeling that you know feels so right? "

Orion's grin faded slightly, but he nodded at EO. "Yes, sir, I know exactly what you mean. We're all looking for someone like that in our lives, but finding it is probably the most difficult thing to do." His eyes suddenly shone with mirth as he raised one eyebrow. "But it helps when you get something like a 'Knockout Special to look at-"

"Thanks for reminding me," EO smirked, Orion's grin widening even at the dangerous look in the Captain's eyes. "That little document you gave me, it nearly caused poor Fuzzball to faint! And I was completely stopped in my tracks, standing in the middle of hallway like some kind of schmuck!"

Orion laughed. "Then my devious plan worked! I finally surprised you enough to stop and check out the pretty ladies!"

EO rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, don't forget that last party I went to, it took two ladies to get me out of the door-"

"Get away from me, you jerk!"

EO and Orion looked up from their conversation to see Bee glaring at Nancy, who had stood up from his table and walked around to stand in front of the bounty hunter. Apparently she had done more staring than he had found comfortable, and made his insecurity public by challenging her.

"Look at Miss Thing 'n her haughty attitude! Wha'd you think you're lookin' at?" Nancy snarled angrily, the effect of his sarcastic tone ruined by the bandages over his bruised nose and mouth. He figured by just showing a tough front, that she would back down. Nancy had no idea of what she would do next…

Bee stared for a few more seconds before reaching down, grabbing Nancy's plate of food, and dumping it over his head. EO, Orion, Nancy's crew and the other restaurant patrons all stared as Nancy sputtered in shock, noodles covering his head and pepper sauce running down his shoulders and neck. The bounty hunter smirked, setting the now empty plate back onto the table with an audible 'click'.

"Right now, I think I'm looking at the number six special," Bee said, winking at Nancy before walking away in the silence, EO cutting through the crowd of still patrons. Once he reached her, she whispered, "Let's get out of here…After dealing with that guy, I lost my appetite." She smirked, nodding back at the food-drenched Nancy.

EO giggled softly. "Somehow I thought you'd say that."

The silence didn't last, and soon the entire restaurant crowd broke out in laughter, spreading to the other places in the food court. Captain Nancy tried to slink back to his seat, but slipped and fell in the puddle of sauce on the floor, causing the room to shake slightly. This just made the patrons laugh even harder.

A few minutes later…

EO grinned confidently, not unlike a schoolboy playing hooky, as he undid the locker for the outer-space hover boards. Activating one of them, he jumped on, surfing through the hallway until reaching the airlock doors. Bee stood there with two insulated suits and helmets. "I see you're still good at finding your way past locked doors."

EO raised an eyebrow as he jumped off his board, catching the insulated suit in mid-air when Bee tossed it to him. "I could say the same of you, Miss 'What's a lock pick again'! Besides, I have vast experience in solving puzzling mysteries… like where the last cookie went, who is it, who let the dogs out… no, wait, that was someone else…"

Bee grinned, zipping up the front of her suit and pulling the helmet over her head, attaching it to the suit and turning on the telecom speaker. "Only because you were so quick to run away from the gate! And you ran away from the little dogs like they were on fire and about to kill you!"

EO flipped the button on his speaker, smoothing out a patch on his arm. "I thought that white one was going to bite my leg! You would have run away, too!"

Bee laughed, nodding toward the airlock. "Shall we?"

EO and Bee hopped onto the activated hover boards, drifting into the small corridor after the airlock opened, closing a few seconds later. After a minute, the outside door opened, exposing the two space-suited people to the cold yet beautiful environment of space.

EO laughed, drifting forward outside, with Bee close behind him, seeing her shivering slightly. "It's like walking into a cold pool, isn't it? Good thing we got suits on-"

Suddenly Bee slapped his shoulder, zooming off. "Tag, you're it!" EO spun in surprise, looking up at Bee as she zipped away.

"Hey, that's no fair! You cheated!" With that cry, he took off, flying through the ether like a bullet. Soon the chase slowed, and became a kind of contest, with Bee sliding the hover board over rails and EO demonstrating some amazing spinning moves, the two of them reliving the sunny days of summer on Earth.

EO and Bee laughed happily, cheering in youthful exuberance as they zoomed around the station, past the shine of stars and brightly colored nebulas outside, marveling at the colors and shapes of the different scenes. Bee gasped as she looked up at a nebula, with strands of neon blue and bright red crisscrossing forming a blooming rose with their pattern. "It's so beautiful out here," she said through the telecom to EO. "And the stars are so bright and close."

EO watched Bee's exclamations of delight, sharing in her joy. 'It certainly is beautiful,' he thought, but he wasn't looking at the stars.

They finally finished the last circuit, returning back to the docking station and replacing the hover board and spacesuit equipment to its rightful places. Walking back through the hallway, the two of them arrived at a balcony that was surrounded by reinforced glass windows; the balcony was renown around the station for being a place of seclusion. It was said at least a hundred enlisted had taken their fiancés here to propose marriage.

Bee and EO stared out at the stars, each with their own thoughts. EO was the first to speak, in a quiet tone. "Bee… Billie Jean… It was really good to see you again."

Bee turned her head, looking up at EO. "I missed you so much, EO. When you left Earth, I thought I'd never see you again." Her voice took on a tone of coyness that EO hadn't heard before. "And now that we're all alone…"

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, as he stared wide-eyed at her. No woman had spoken like that to him… it sent a shiver up his back, warmth spreading through his body. He felt embarrassed and nervous at the same time… what was she up to…?

Bee moved up closer to EO, looking down shyly at the floor, her hand moving upward from her belt.

Her pistol was in her palm, the barrel resting on his midriff. She finished the sentence she had left in mid air, her eyes cast down at the pistol. "And now that we're all alone, I can take care of my business with you, Captain EO."

The coy tone in Bee's voice was gone, replaced by sadness. EO stared down at the pistol; the warmth in his body was now vanished completely, replaced by the cold water feeling of sudden horrible realization. He looked up at her, his voice holding a tone of confusion.

"Why, Billie Jean?"

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 4

The balcony in Sector 5 was known around the Intergalactic Corps main station as a great location for proposals, declarations of love, and a few notorious make-out scenes. This was the first time it had been used for a hold-up before, with one instigator and one unwilling participant.

Billie took a few steps back, as EO was with his back against the balcony railing. She forced her eyes upward to meet the look in his eyes; puzzlement, hurt, his confusion was evident in his expression.

"Why, Bee, why are you doing this?"

She raised an eyebrow, her voice suddenly harsh. "You want me to tell you why, EO? It's very simple; someone is going to pay me a large amount of credits for your capture and your delivery to them."

"You're doing this for a bounty? You're forsaking a friendship and betraying me because of money?" He couldn't believe it. But the look in her eyes turned darker, resolved, hard like stone and as lethal as the pistol in her hand.

"Let's just say that I'm putting the money to good use, shall we?"

EO's stare, which was previously warm and innocent, slowly frosted over, his eyes like two chips of black ice. His voice was low and accusing as he replied. "That's why you wanted us to be alone, so you could make it easier to kidnap me. But that doesn't explain two important things; for what reason, and who."

It was Bee's turn to blink in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"For what reason are you after me for money, and who set the bounty up in the first place?"

She blinked again, and then smiled sadly. "It's good I can answer those questions, most contracts say I'm not allowed to discuss details to the mark. But I'd tell you anyway, EO… do you remember Elliot?"

EO raised an eyebrow. "Elliot, he was your little brother... I remember him, when we went hover boarding he would watch from the enclosed cube in your yard because… because he was sick most of the time, he had a weak immune system. What does that...?"

"A few years after you left for cadet school, Elliot lapsed into a fever, and he was comatose for years. We had to… we had to freeze him."

The Captain stared at his friend, sympathy rising in his eyes as he realized what Bee was saying. "Elliot… he was dying, wasn't he? Your parents gave permission for the doctors to slow his growth so they could find a cure for his disease."

"That's why I became a bounty hunter," Bee said, nodding at EO's correct guess. "I did it to pay off my brother's medical bills so he could be kept alive, the doctors said they were steps away from a breakthrough, but I don't know… don't look at me like that, EO, it was necessary!"

"Maybe," EO's voice was quiet. "But that doesn't explain who wanted you to get to me. Another friend of ours, perhaps, who wanted revenge against me asked you for a favor?"

Bee bit her lower lip. "EO… it was Thomas Bash."

A long moment of silence, not even the soft beeping of the satellites and the hum of the station itself were heard. And then-

"What did you say?" The quiet tone held a rising undercurrent of cold fury, shaking slightly trying to keep the emotion in check.

"It was Bash, he wanted to-"

EO's eyebrows lowered in a scowl as he snarled angrily, teeth bared in a fierce grimace. "That horrible, manipulative lying bastard, what more does that monster plan to do?!"

Bee sighed as she leveled the pistol at EO, the hard glare in her eyes softening. "I'm sorry, EO," she said. "I didn't want it to turn out this way-"

A few sudden notes of music, a kind of synthesized beeping rhythm, rang out. Bee quickly looked left and right, trying to detect some kind of intrusion alarm. She turned her attention back to EO-

BLAST! PING!

A beam of light shot from EO's outstretched palm, hitting the pistol in Bee's hands and knocking it into the air. Captain EO executed a fast spin, catching the pistol in his free hand. He glanced at it, before tossing it into the wall behind him, his eyes flickering up at Bee as if to say 'What now?' She was surprised by his deftness, to say the least.

"How… your crew wasn't here to back you up, where did you…"

"Where did I get my power from? This." EO tapped a small electronic device with small glowing lights and a round radio speaker hanging on his belt. "Even with small notes like that, I can manage a few strikes if necessary. And in this case, it was necessary."

Bee kept her hands at her sides, wanting to fight back, but knowing it would be useless. She knew it would've been very foolish, when EO's crew came running up a few seconds later.

"Sir, is everything okay?" Majordomo asked. "We heard the signal alarm go off!"

EO nodded at Majordomo, as behind him Idy and Ody picked up the fallen pistol, keeping it away from Hooter. Fuzzball flew in, perching on EO's shoulder and fretting slightly, visibly worried over his Captain. He reached up, petting Fuzzball in a comforting manner. "It's okay, it's alright," he whispered, before looking back at Bee.

"Everything is fine, Majordomo, we just need to go see Commander Bog. There's some important information that he needs to hear."

A few minutes later, in Commander Bog's office…

The Commander leaned back in his chair, looking from EO to Bee. "You have to admit, EO, this story is incredible," he began. "So, Miss Billie Jean… Captain EO here says he met you in the hangar deck, which you managed to sneak aboard during the supply shuttle docking, and accompanied him around as a civilian guest, tipped a plate of Chinese food over the head of another enlisted Captain, went on a hover board joyride with EO around the space station itself, revealing yourself as a bounty hunter and giving the reason as to why you arrived here to abduct Captain EO for a substantial bounty, am I forgetting something or do I have this story right?"

Captain EO raised his hand, and Commander Bog glared from his chair. "You forgot to mention that she was a childhood friend of mine, sir," EO stated, before lapsing into silence.

Bog's glare diminished because there was no real fire behind it, just tiredness. "I think I'm getting too old for this job," he managed, placing a hand over his eyes. He sat back up and looked at Bee, fixing a glare on the bounty hunter.

"Now look, miss, if you wish to leave this base peacefully, you will need to discuss the terms of this bounty against Captain EO, otherwise we will have full authority to detain you here-"

"There's no need, sir," EO interrupted again, looking at Bee. "She told me the reason why she took the job, but more importantly she told me who was behind the bounty in the first place." EO's expression, at first intent, became more and more focused into anger, the warmth in his eyes completely gone.

"Thomas Bash set the bounty on me, sir."

Commander Bog stared at EO, blinking in shock. "Thomas Bash set… Your failed mission, he was the one who stole-"

"With all due respect, sir, I think we all know who Mr. Bash is," Bee said, growing uneasy at the angry look in EO's eyes. "And I can give you all the information I know about him, but it might be too late to apprehend him personally. He moves from base to base, never in the same place twice, sir."

Now it was Bee who Commander Bog stared at. He scowled slightly, nodding at her. "Why did you want to take the bounty in the first place, young miss?"

"For my little brother, sir," Bee said as she looked down at the floor. "My brother Elliot, he's been sick since he was a child… I've been trying to make money to pay for his medical bills and research to find a cure for his disease."

"Do you believe her, Captain?" Commander Bog looked at EO, raising an eyebrow as he studied EO.

The Captain looked from his Commander to his friend, meeting her eyes as the anger in his drifted down, not entirely gone but hidden away.

"Yes, sir, I believe her. She gave me the flier for my capture, apparently they were posted on the outer limits… mercenaries and drifters go there to find employment." EO's voice held more than a hint of accusation, aimed directly at his friend. Bee looked down at the floor, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously. Commander Bog sighed, leaning back up and resting his elbows on his desk

"Captain EO, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with your friend alone. There are some discussions that should not be heard outside this room, is that clear?"

EO nodded, saluting and waiting until it was returned before turning and leaving the room, his free hand visibly clenched. Bee stared after him as the door slid shut, before she turned back to Commander Bog.

Captain EO walked down the hall a few steps, before slowing his stride, walking in a dejected rhythm, looking down at the floor until he reached his room. As he entered his room, the door shut behind him with a sliding noise, clicking gently.

As soon as he was inside, his whole body began shaking and he fell onto his knees beside his bed, reaching out and gripping the cloth sheet with white-knuckled fists, fingers digging like claws into the fabric. Anger rose within as tears formed in his eyes before streaking tears down his face. He sobbed for a few seconds, helpless."…why?" He whispered, as if afraid of an answer.

"Why?" Spoken louder, an appeal to whoever was listening, responsible for that fateful day. "Why couldn't I stop him? Why did I… why was I so blind? I WASN'T ABLE TO STOP HIM BECAUSE OF MY OWN-"

He tossed himself forward until his face was buried in the mattress, screaming into his bedding with a cry of pure rage. As soon as the anguished cry died down, he flung himself back up, the tears streaked down his face evidence of his grief at that lost chance and those lost lives due to his failure to act properly.

With the strength born of anger, he ripped the cloth in his hands, gathering the piles of cloth to punch and tear apart even more, the ragged strings cutting into his hands and leaving small wounds, faint streams of dark red blood mingling on the fabric. EO ignored the pain, continuing to tear into the sheet before it was nothing but scraps, until he fell to the floor, his face and body coated in sweat. The tears came again and he cried, helplessly.

It wasn't the failure of the mission that caused him pain, but whom it was that he failed. The shipment Bash took was a powerful narcotic, nicknamed 'candy dust' as it resembled ground-up candy powder. It was highly addictive, extremely difficult to wean from, and was marketed towards children- sometimes kids were force-fed it, so they would become addicted and life-long customers of the drug; there was little doubt as to what the drug would be used for.

The thought of an evil person like Bash with that kind of drug was enough to horrify anyone, but EO was both enraged and grieved, feeling physical pain at the thought of any child being subjected to that kind of treatment, and raging at himself because of the consequences of his recklessness, not having his priorities in order… being foolish enough to think his skills as a Captain would have stopped Bash…

EO felt his body seize up, his throat choked with tears; just the thought of children in pain paralyzed him and made him sick… It should have never happened, but it did, and EO wanted to make sure it would never happen again. "I'm going to find him," he said aloud, his eyes gazing upward, hoping someone was listening and aware of the promise he was making. "I'm going to keep Bash from hurting any child ever again."

The door slid open and EO turned, expecting to see someone standing there… but it was only Fuzzball, who quickly flew over to his Captain, his chittering in a concerned tone, his small voice full of concern.

"What happened?"

EO sighed, holding a fistful of cloth in each hand, the superficial cuts on his hands already healed.

"Oh, I… lost my cool, that's all. I'd rather lose my temper in my room than outside…"

Fuzzball murmured sadly, patting the side of EO's face with his small paws in a comforting way. Despite his previous exertion and anger, EO managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Fuzzball," he whispered to his friend.

Meanwhile, in Commander Bog's office…

"Why talk to me alone?" Bee raised an eyebrow at the Commander in suspicion, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position.

Bog flipped his computer up, the screen lighting up and showing the special document Orion had given to EO; the 'Knockout Special' with the pictures of women playing on some sandy beach on Earth. The miniature hologram of the woman waving to the camera stood out; if one paid close attention to detail, they could discern the figure of Billie Jean as the woman.

The Commander looked at Bee. "Captain EO may be one of the most well-read enlisted men we've had here at the station; but he is not the only one to have used the library's resources. So is being a swimsuit model your day job, or is bounty hunting a moonlighting occupation for you?"

Bee smirked, shaking her head. "Actually, the modeling job became my cover, so customers could see that I was for real instead of a wannabe."

Bog folded his hands, looking up at the young woman. "And you've been very successful- your last mission made headlines, arresting one of the galaxies' Most Wanted criminals, Grace Martin. She's been in solitary for the past five years, and her drug trafficking ring was stopped cold."

"Until Mr. Bash took over her empire by rising up from the ranks," Bee said, meeting Bog with an even gaze. "Bash was able to become leader with that substantial cargo he picked up… I knew he had gotten it from a Corps member, but I didn't know it was EO until I did some back checking."

Commander Bog raised an eyebrow. "You check the history of your clients?"

Bee shrugged. "It lets me decide if they're worth my time or not. I wanted to have a reunion with my friend… but I wasn't going to betray him, I promise you that!"

"It doesn't matter what you promise, Miss. But if it is any consolation, the walls do indicate you are telling the truth." Bog pointed at the wall behind Bee, and she turned around to face a glowing green wall.

"The color system is coded to detect certain emotions, to determine whether a person is being truthful or lying. A bit of advanced technology the Golgolems donated to us, something they developed over time in their local court trials."

Bee nodded, turning back to Bog. "Very impressive, Commander… so what happens now?"

Bog returned Bee's intent gaze. "You're going to tell me what purpose Thomas Bash wants with my Captain in his possession… and I'm going to tell you why Captain EO is so determined to make sure Bash is behind bars."

"I always thought that the details of a mission were confidential information?"

"It is also confidential information not to reveal the name of your client or the reasons why he is hiring you. But in this case, you will need to be briefed over the circumstances… because if I know EO, and I do know him well enough to say this confidently… he will be adamant at taking the chance to bring down Thomas Bash once and for all."

To be continued…


End file.
